The definition of “woke” in its term so often bandied about lately, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “alert to injustice in society, especially racism.” To Republicans, particularly one politician in Florida bucking to be the next Republican candidate for president, being alert to injustices faced by minorities is a bad thing.
BREAKING: Today, a fed judge suspended enforcement of FL’s #HB7, the Stop WOKE Act, as it clearly violates the Constitution by infringing on the free speech of biz owners in FL like plaintiffs in our case against HB7. 1/5 https://t.co/nn5cSLsgje
— Protect Democracy (@protctdemocracy) August 18, 2022
We sued on behalf of 3 FL business owners to challenge HB7’s vague prohibitions on talking to employees about race, gender, or national origin, citing the 1st & 14th Amendments in our case. Read more about our HB7 fight. 4/5 https://t.co/fHPVYqnIxi
— Protect Democracy (@protctdemocracy) August 18, 2022
The Stop WOKE Act is a speech code that takes a page from the authoritarian playbook. It seeks to censor ideas that challenge govt officials’ preferred narrative, muzzle independent institutions, and direct outrage toward disfavored groups. 5/5 https://t.co/5hJJRme2hQ
— Protect Democracy (@protctdemocracy) August 18, 2022
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida recently signed what he titled the Stop WOKE Act, a bill restricting what certain entities, like employers, can say about racism, sexism, and homophobia and transphobia in the workplace, such as offering cultural diversity or sexual discrimination workshops. On Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled that the bill, which he described as “bordering on unintelligible,” may violate First Amendment rights and issued a temporary injunction while the case is argued in court.
According to the organization who brought the lawsuit to court, Protect Democracy:
‘Speech codes like this one, which seek to censor ideas contrary to government officials’ preferred narrative, muzzle independent institutions, and direct outrage toward disfavored groups, take a page from the authoritarian playbook. Prohibiting viewpoints disfavored by government officials violates well-established free speech rights and threatens to chill a wide range of speech in the workplace related to race, gender, and sexual orientation.’
Protect Democracy also provided a handy chart for how to identify authoritarians like Ron DeSantis.
Twitter was delighted to hear that the bill is unenforceable while being argued in court and hoped that it would offer some relief to minority groups in Florida. Read some of their comments below:
